The Other Side
by adriaticjellyfishsting
Summary: After being hidden away from the world for years, Avatar Korra travels to Republic City to take part in a mission to bring down Amon's Equalist Revolution from the inside. Equalist AU.
1. Enlistment

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, only a computer.**

**The Other Side  
**

**_Chapter 1: Enlistment_  
**

The breath caught in Korra's throat as she entered the dimly lit, back alley meeting room. This was finally it. This was why she had come to Republic City, smuggled in inside a tiny fishing boat's hull, leaving behind her training and her family and her best friend. After this was all over, she could bring Naga to the city, but for now, it was too risky. It would give too much about her away.

Turning the collar of her grey coat up against her neck, she reflected that perhaps for the first time in her life, being so isolated from the rest of the world would be a benefit for her. No one knew what the Avatar looked like, no one knew the Avatar's name. Without the title, she was nobody, and with her false backstory, she was just another frustrated nonbender who was looking for change.

Glancing around the room, Korra noted the nervous looking people sitting in the rows of folding chairs. They looked like normal people, not evil and dangerous criminals. They looked like people's mothers and brothers, not the murders and vigilantes that she had been told they would be. There were about twenty people, and only a few open seats. She took a seat next to a woman who's knuckles were white from her intense grip on her purse.

"Hello," Korra said, looking at the woman, who looked up anxiously.

"Good evening," she replied, glancing sideways at Korra.

Korra opened her mouth to continue the conversation when suddenly, the room burst into applause.

He was there.

Standing in front of the rows of seats was the reason that Korra was here: Amon. _So he really did wear that mask_. She had thought that maybe it had only been around outsiders and the enemy that he hid his face, but she had been wrong. The cold porcelain smirk was visible even from her seat in the back, and it sent shivers down her spine to think that Amon was actually there, in front of her, a tangible person, rather than just a voice on the radio or a name on a piece of paper. He was more than a target now; he was real.

"Welcome, my brothers and sisters."

As soon as Amon spoke, silence fell upon the room. Everyone's eyes were glued on him as he strode towards the seats.

"We come here tonight to speak as equals. Tonight, it does not matter from where you come, for tonight we all come from the same place. For too long, we have been abused and oppressed by those who have received what they would call gifts from the spirits. The tyranny of benders has ravaged the world for far too long, tearing it apart with wars, passing over the nonbenders of all the nations in favor of those who have been given an unnatural advantage over the rest of us," Amon paused, and looked out at the group of people.

"I have told my story before; it is nothing special. I am sure that many of you have experienced the same sort of horrors that I have."

There was a murmur of agreement that rippled through the crowd, and Korra nodded along. Amon stopped, waiting for someone to speak and tell their story. The woman next to Korra was the first to answer him.

"A waterbending triad has been extorting my husband for months, and when he would not pay, they bloodbent my daughters. All three of them are still in the hospital after three months, and the doctors say that they will never wake up again."

The woman was shaking with quiet fury, her back straight and her eyes straight forward. Amon nodded at her.

Soon, others began to call out, each story more horrifying than the last, until all but Korra had spoken.

"You, girl," said the man standing next to Amon, who Korra could only assume was the Lieutenant, "They have all shared their stories. Now it is your turn."

Korra's heart was racing. This was her test. She opened her mouth and shakily began her false story.

"I didn't speak before because next to what everyone else has said, my story seems insignificant. I don't have much to complain about," her voice was small and unsure, "But I was born in the Northern Water Tribe, to parents who were both benders. I have a sister and brother, both benders. My family is made up of warriors and healers. I am nothing. There was nothing that I could do, except wait to be married to some man and produce babies who could bend. I ran away, thinking that here, things would be better. But they're not. And I think that things need to change."

She finished, guilt rising in her throat as she looked around at all the people who had experienced real brutalities, who had never lead the privileged life that she had. _I'm sorry_, she thought.

"No story is insignificant, nor is any trauma at the hands of benders justifiable," Amon said, addressing both Korra and the rest of the audience, "You have all been abused, both your bodies and your souls. It is time for you to reclaim yourselves, your city and your world. Tonight, you are taking the first step on that journey as you join the Equalists. I will now let my Lieutenant say a few words."

Amon stepped to the side, and the Lieutenant looked out over the crowd. He cleared his throat and spoke.

"We will not be keeping an official record of all those involved in our movement, however you will all be assigned unit numbers and specific identities within those groups. No one is forced to share their real name with anyone, but if any of you do, please bear in mind that if any of us should fall into the hands of the police or council, they are not above torture and will scrounge up any names that they can, and use those names to round up more of us. You will also all receive uniforms and instructions for when you should report for your next instructions."

Korra gulped. If she could just get through this, everything would be in place for her to complete her mission. She still couldn't believe that the White Lotus and Tenzin had agreed to let her do this, especially when she had not even begun her airbending training. They almost hadn't, but after much bullying on the part of Chief Lin Bei Fong, and the Republic City Council, they had finally conceded, agreeing (albeit reluctantly) that if the world was that badly out of balance, only the Avatar could help restore the peace.

So Korra had come to Republic City, alone and unknown, to infiltrate and wreck the Equalists from the inside. She had given up her true identity, she had moved into a new home with two boys that she didn't know, and she had ended up here, in the den of Amon's revolution, pledging her allegiance to the cause.

As she stepped forward in line to get her instructions and uniform, she shivered. Amon was staring at the newcomers as a whole, not her in particular, she reminded herself. There was no reason for him to be suspicious of her. He was merely sizing up his new recruits.

"Next," said a masked Equalist woman, and Korra moved to the table.

"Do you have any fighting experience?" she asked Korra.

"Yes," Korra nodded.

"Good. I'm assigning you to Unit A Subdivision five. You will meet with your team the day after tomorrow, in the basement of Ami's Fish Dinners by wharf 49," the woman glanced up at Korra, rummaged in a box below the table, and drew out an Equalist uniform, "Do not wear this to the meeting, but bring it with you."

Korra took the uniform from her, rubbing the material between her fingers. It was light and much softer than she had expected.

"Thank you," Korra said.

"Have a good night," the woman replied, "Next."

Slipping the uniform inside her bag, Korra got out of line. Amon was still standing against the wall with the Lieutenant, both completely silent. She looked at the two of them out of the corner of her eye, and her breath quickened. She'd be lying to herself if she said that they didn't scare her. In fact, they terrified her. What they could do and what that meant for the world fueled her nightmares. The thought that he could take someone's bending away was horrifying.

If Korra lost her bending, she would be completely unmade. It was everything to her, her lifeblood, her past, and her legacy. Losing it would be a death sentence. Even just pretending that she couldn't bend was agonizing. Hiding who she was from the world was horrible, and almost impossible.

She wrapped her coat around her body, shuddering from the cold. It was a long way to the pro bending arena, and it was late. They were probably worried about her. Her pace quickened as she made her way down a dark street. She hated the city at night. Without her bending, Korra could still fight and protect herself, that was for sure, but it was difficult, and she had to repress her instincts to firebend at anyone who tried to do her harm.

The walk back passed without incident, however, and Korra made it back to the attic of the pro bending arena at one in the morning. They were both still up.

"Hey, where've you been, Korra?" asked Bolin, peaking down from his bed up in the loft.

Korra took off her coat and sat down on the couch.

"I had a date," she lied, curling her feet up under herself.

Mako looked at her incredulously.

"With who?" he asked, walking over towards her.

"No one you know," she mumbled, "Why're you still up anyways? Isn't it past your bed time, Mr. Mom?"

Mako bristled.

"We were worried about you! All this stuff with Amon-"

"Yeah, and I'm not a bender," Korra said, "I'm not in danger."

"Yeah, exactly, you're not a bender. You know the police are suspicious of everyone," Mako finished, glaring at her.

Korra felt bad lying to the two brothers, but she had to. No one could know her real identity, not yet. She had slipped up and told the boys her real name on her first day in the city, but reminded herself that it wouldn't be unusual for an Equalist to give a false name, so she hadn't bothered to cover it up.

Living at the pro bending arena also made it less suspicious for people like Tenzin and Lin to come see her. They could come on other business, but stop by quickly to get information without having to set up a secret meeting.

"Well, I'm fine," Korra grumbled, "Now, I'm really tired, so I'm gonna go to bed. You should too. I know you guys have a game tomorrow."

She got up from the couch and stretched before heading to her little area of the attic. Korra put on her pajamas and crawled into bed, staring out the window at Air Temple Island. If things had been different, she could have been sleeping out there, staring from the middle of the bay out at the twinkling lights of the city.

But things were the way they were, and she was here, up to her ears in lies. As she buried her face into her pillow, Amon's face danced in front of her eyes. She could hear his voice, low and dangerous in her ears.

"Welcome to the Equalists, Avatar Korra."

Korra shuddered.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Reviews much appreciated, stay tuned for more! 3


	2. Tunnels

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, only a computer.**

**The Other Side**

**_Chapter 2: Tunnels_**

Korra stood in front of Ami's Fish Dinners, the bag containing her Equalist uniform clutched to her chest. Taking a deep breath, she entered.

Since coming to Republic City, she had stopped wearing her traditional Water Tribe clothes, switching to a more modern and urban style, and had abandoned her familiar wolf's tail hairstyle. It made her stand out less, turning her into just another of the thousands of faces that filled the city streets.

Korra glanced at her reflection in the window as she walked in, and wondered what she would look like with her new uniform on. She hadn't tried it on yet; it had been tempting, but the risk of Bolin or Mako walking in and seeing her was too great.

Inside Ami's, Korra wrinkled her nose, the pungent stench of raw fish overwhelming her. She hurried across the wooden floor, slick with seawater to the back of the restaurant, where a rickety looking staircase wound down into the ground. Gripping the railings, she climbed down it to the basement, where the scent of fish was much less intense. Korra breathed a sigh of relief; she hated the smell of fish, despite having grown up in the Southern Water Tribe. There was something about the salty odor that reminded her of death.

The basement was dimly lit, a single bare lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. There were five other people standing around, talking quietly as she entered.

"Close the cellar door," said one of the men, motioning to the staircase with a thick, heavily scarred arm.

After she had shut the wooden panels, Korra rejoined the party, taking in each one of them. There were two familiar faces, people who had been at her initiation. The rest were new, although they all seemed to know each other.

"Welcome," said the man with the scarred arm, "I am Eri, A5's unit leader. This is Bae," he motioned to the slender young man at his right, "And this is Fen," he pointed to the woman next to him.

"I'm sure that the Lieutenant informed you that you do not have to give a name, or the name that you give does not have to be your real one, but if you would please tell us what you wished to be called, it would make things a lot easier to keep track of," Fen continued for him, her voice scratchy and brusque.

Korra glanced at the two other new recruits, who seemed to be thinking hard. She took the opportunity to speak.

"I'm Kanna," Korra told them, smiling slightly.

She had never met Katara's gran-gran, but her waterbending sifu had always spoken so highly of her that Korra did not hesitate for a moment when selecting her alias. It was short, simple and since it started with the same letter as her own name, it would be easy for her to remember.

"Welcome, Kanna," said Bae.

"I'm Ira," said one of the newcomers, twisting her fingers nervously in her dress.

"My name is Teru," the other newcomer said, swiping his long hair out of his face.

"Once again, welcome," Eri said, casting his eyes over them, "Get dressed in your uniforms, because we have business to take care of."

Everyone began to strip down, pulling the uniforms on. Eri continued to speak as they dressed.

"All of you said that you could fight. Good. We need people like you, and tonight will be a test of your skills. Are you all done?"

Buckling the belt, and slipping the last button through its loop, Korra looked up at Eri. He pulled his mask over his face, nodding at her to do the same. Taking a deep breath, she slid the material over her head. Instantly, the world was tinted slightly green as she peered out through goggles that pressed uncomfortably into her face.

"Is there any way to loosen these?" Korra asked, "They hurt my face."

"Here, let me," offered Fen, adjusting one of the clasps on the mask.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Now, is everyone ready?" Fen turned to the rest of the unit, "We're leaving now."

There was a collective nod, and Bae moved to the back wall of the cellar, and pressed hard on the center panel. With a loud popping noise, he slid it to the side, opening up a tunnel. Eri stepped forward and entered it.

"Let's go," Bae said, following Eri into the passageway.

As Korra stepped into the tunnel, she looked over her shoulder, catching her last glimpse of the dingy basement before the door slid shut, and darkness swallowed them.

"Sorry about the dark," said Fen, "It'll lighten up as soon as we get to the main tunnel, but for now, we're in the dark."

It wasn't _completely_ dark; the goggles helped somewhat. She could only make out the vague contour of whoever was in front of her. With the uniforms on, Korra really couldn't tell anyone apart yet until they spoke.

"Not too much longer now," Eri called back from the front of the party, "We're almost there."

After a minute or two, they came to a wall, which just like the one in the basement, opened with a pop. Orange light spilled into the compact passageway, and Korra felt an overwhelming sense of relief. She hadn't realized how nervous being crammed in a tiny space in the dark had made her.

One by one, they hopped out of the passage and into a larger tunnel. There were Satomobile tracks scorched on the ground, and hum of electric lights was for Korra, somewhat nerve wracking.

_So this was how they got around_, Korra thought. It made sense; Lin had told her how the Equalists would appear out of nowhere and disappear again almost as quickly. _But where did they get the funding for all this electricity? _Lights were expensive, and these were massive. _Someone must be supplying them with all of this_.

That was something that she could report back to Lin and Tenzin. Her first official day as an Equalist, and she had already uncovered things which the Republic City police force hadn't after months of work. Behind her mask, Korra was smiling. They would be impressed with her work, and maybe, just maybe, Lin would actually like her, and not just tolerate her out of necessity.

The tunnel continued on for about a ten minute walk, until it split off into several smaller passages. Eri lead them down the leftmost one, and they plunged into darkness again.

"It'll only be dark for a moment or two," Eri told them, and sure enough, the tunnel opened up into a large, well lit chamber.

The rusty walls rose up around them, and Korra gazed up at them. She could hear footsteps from within them, echoing on the aging metal.

"Now what?" asked Teru, moving forward to stand beside Korra.

"Now we wait for-"

Eri's words were cut off as a huge boom echoed through the chamber. The walls shook, the ancient screws rattling as they struggled to hold together the sheet metal.

"What's going on?" asked Ira, staring up at the top of the chamber.

Before anyone could respond, however, ropes dropped down to the ground, and masked people began sliding down them, leaping in the air to attack the unit. _Don't firebend_, Korra screamed in her head, _firebend and you're dead. _

Instead, she assumed a defensive position, waiting for their attackers to engage, her fists raised and ready to strike. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and feel a tricked of nervous sweat creep down her face. Korra wished that she could wipe it away, but the mask made it impossible.

Their attackers struck quickly, the agility of their blows making it difficult to block. _Light on your feet, don't let them touch you, _Korra thought, whirling out of the way of one of the assailants. They were locked into a dance of carefully targeted strikes and near misses, moving to a tempo worthy of the wildest dance club in Republic City.

The first attack that Korra landed was sheer luck, her fist colliding heavily with the head of the masked man she was fighting. He stumbled back, and Korra had a moment to take in her partners' situations. Everyone was holding their own, it seemed like, but Teru (at least that's who Korra thought he was; she still doesn't know what everyone looks like with their uniform on) was being beaten back, getting pushed towards the wall.

As her own attacker lunged at her, Korra dodged him, sliding across the floor towards Teru, knocking the feet out from beneath the woman pinning him against the wall.

"Thanks," he called, leaping back into action.

The unit was winning the fight, slowly but surely, as their attackers fell to the floor in defeat. Finally, there was only one man left fighting, spinning on his toes as he tried in vain to avoid their attacks. He hurtled towards Korra, his hands raised and ready to strike. She caught his extended arm and twisted, flipping the man to the ground, where he landed with a very painful sounding thud. It was all Korra could do to keep from shouting out in triumph. _Equalists don't shout_, she reminded herself.

As she raised herself up, Eri began to clap, and was soon joined by Bae and Fen.

"Congratulations, newbies. You've just passed your test," Fen said, bending down to help one of their fallen assailants up from the ground.

"And what exactly does that mean?" said Ira.

"It means that you've just proved your strength and skill in combat. The people that you have just bested are a part of the Equalists' skilled combat unit, Amon's preferred group of combatants. We are a part of this unit, and starting now, so are you," Bae explained.

When everyone had caught their breath, the unit regrouped and headed through a passageway opened up in the wall.

"We'll leave through here," Fen told them, "Up and out. We'll come out about five blocks south of the city center."

The passageway wound its way up and around the room, leading towards the surface. Mostly, they walked in silence, the clanking of their feet on the old metal the only sound. Korra could hardly believe it; a day in, and the position that she was in would be one with hopefully a significant amount of knowledge about the progress of the Equalist movement.

She guessed that the tunnels and passages underground were far more extensive than what she had seen, probably running deep beneath the city. Discovering the scope of the underground network would be a job for Lin's metalbending cops, not that Korra would suggest it. Lin Bei Fong would probably hang her from Aang's statue if Korra ever attempted to give her orders on how to run her police force. Still, she would report all the entrances and exits that she found to Lin. It would be helpful when planning raids, and less messy than tearing up the streets with bending to get beneath the ground.

They turned the corner, and came crashing to a halt, everyone slamming into one another as Eri stopped walking.

"Hey, what's the idea?" grumbled Teru.

Korra craned her neck to see around the other members of her unit and discover what had caused them to stop. It was Amon.

He was standing alone in the passageway, his hood hanging over his masked face.

"Good evening Eri," Amon said in what Korra could only assume was a casual tone, "Fen, Bae."

"Good evening sir," they all replied in unison.

Amon stepped to the side, and glanced at Korra and the other new recruits.

"And these are your new unit members?" he asked, and Eri nodded in response, "I saw the conclusion of their fight down below. There is a lot of talent between the three of you."

"Thank you," said Ira, her voice a little unsteady.

"Of course, you all have much to learn, but I'm confident that with a little time, the three of you will be key to victory in the Revolution."

Behind her mask, Korra smiled grimly. _You have no idea how true that statement is Amon, _Korra thought, _no idea at all. _

Eventually, the moved on, sidestepping Amon as he remained standing in the passageway. Korra could feel his eyes on her as they passed him, and was glad of the anonymity the mask brought her. The scrutiny of his gaze made her nervous, like he could see right through her made up backstory and past the false name. It was enough to send shivers down her spine, enough to form a knot in the pit of her stomach. It was ridiculous of course, to think that he would know that she was the Avatar. The Equalists were a huge organization, and Amon simply wouldn't have time to run background checks on every new recruit. He had no reason to be suspicious of her, Korra reminded herself, and he never would, unless she were so lacking in subtlety that she completely gave away her position.

The fear of discovery was for now, unwarranted. Repeating this thought over and over in her head, Korra tried to slow her breathing rate, and calm herself down. It wouldn't do for her to have a panic attack her first day on the job.

When everyone had changed back into their street clothes, Bae opened the hatch for them to crawl back out into the night, after informing them that they were to meet once again at Ami's Fish Dinners in two days time. Internally, Korra swore. She had been hoping that they would go to a new location, providing her with new intelligence for Lin.

"Good work tonight," Fen told them before they emerged from underground.

Outside again, Korra felt an enormous sense of relief, like a weight that she hadn't known she'd been carrying had just been hoisted from her shoulders. As the rest of her unit melded into the darkness, Korra headed down the main road towards the Pro-Bending Arena.

It was late, but Mako and Bolin were worriers. They would be waiting up for her without a doubt, and Korra was grateful for the steaming hot tea that she knew Mako would have prepared. Hopefully, there wouldn't be too many questions If this charade was ever going to last, she was going to need to start coming up with a good reason for getting home in the early hours of the morning.

As she walked beneath the streetlights on the deserted avenues, Korra shivered, stuffing her hands deep into her pockets. She didn't _want_ to lie to the brothers, but she had to. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't really want to lie to the other members of her unit either, but once again, she had to. It was her duty to protect and maintain the balance of the world, and if that could only be accomplished by lies and deception, that was her curse and her burden to bear.

* * *

Wow! The response to chapter one was incredible! I hope this wasn't a letdown... it was mainly just some exposition for the rest of the story, lay the groundwork for team dynamics and stuff. This is also a chance for me to help me work on my more plot driven writing, since most of my other stuff is more like character study, reflective stuff.

Also, as a quick note, I'm going out of town for about a month, and I don't know how much time I will have, or how much internet access I will have, so if this doesn't get updated for a while, don't worry!

Thanks for all the lovely reviews, and please feel free to leave more! 3


	3. New Jobs

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, only a computer. **

**The Other Side**

**_Chapter 3: New Jobs_**

It was seven o'clock on the dot when Eri made his way down the steps and into the cellar at Ami's. Everyone else was already gathered around, muttering quietly amongst themselves. Korra glanced up as Eri shut the trapdoor behind himself.

"Evening everyone," he greeted them, and there was a smattering of replies, "We don't have an actual job tonight, but we have a fairly big one coming up soon."

Instantly, everyone stood a little straighter, opened their eyes a little wider. Korra leaned forward slightly, ready to process and take down any tiny piece of intelligence that their first real assignment would bring her. They'd been together as a unit for a little over two weeks, but in that time, they had done nothing but patrolling the perimeter of the park, on the lookout for trouble. She hadn't learned anything about their master plan, nor had they come anywhere near Amon again, not that she really wanted to. There was something about feeling his eyes watching her from behind that mask that made her feel so exposed, like he was stripping off every single layer of her well crafted disguise.

"I'm sure by now that you have all heard of the rally taking place."

There were a couple of nods, and a couple of people who, like Korra, shook their heads no, they hadn't heard a thing about it.

"Well," explained Eri, "There is going to be a rally soon, and it's going to be big. Really big. I need to know that you're ready to give Amon the support that he needs."

"We can all fight. Security won't be a problem," Teru said, stepping forward, arms crossed across his chest.

Eri smiled.

"Well that's good, and I'm sure we will be doing some of that, but what Amon has in mind for us is little more..._classified_... than being bouncers for the evening."

"What's going on at this rally?" Korra asked.

"It's what one might call a revelation," Eri said, "Something to show the world just how strong the Equalists are."

Korra felt her stomach drop. This was it. This was when Amon revealed to the world the fact that he had the upper hand. The knowledge that the police and the council had possessed for months, without releasing to the public, for fear of creating a state of panic, the knowledge that had spent months darkening Korra's dreams, the knowledge that Amon could permanently take away someone's bending was going to be released into the world. This was all kinds of horrible.

"So what are we going to be doing?" said Ira.

"Before the rally, our unit is going to carry out a small raid on the headquarters for the Triads. We're going to take all of the members that are there, and we are going to transport them to the rally, where they will stand a sort of trial for their crimes," Eri told them.

Korra glanced around at the rest of the unit. Bae and Fen looked content, neither excited nor perturbed, and Teru looked nervous. Ira, on the other hand, was staring at Eri with a hard gleam in her eyes, a look of pure determination and dedication. Korra wondered how she looked; hopefully, it was better than she felt.

* * *

"Want to come with us for a drink?" Teru asked as they left Ami's about half an hour later.

"Sorry!" Korra apologized, "I can't. I'm meeting some friends. Next time?"

"Yeah, of course," Teru said, and headed on down the road with the rest of the unit, disappearing into the late evening crowd.

It was almost nine; if she ran, she could make the start of the match. It wasn't like she would have to find a seat or anything. Not tonight anyways. Bolin and Mako had said that she could watch from the players box. Toza would let her in.

Sprinting down the street, Korra ran past families, and couples on dates, apologizing as she accidentally bumped into businessmen and dock workers. She skidded to a halt outside of the arena, and gazed up at its towers and golden edifice, shimmering under the spotlights, a glinting jewel in the Republic City night.

Bounding up the steps, Korra was nearly sure that she would make it on time for the start of the match, and would be able to cheer Bolin, Mako and their teammate (what was his name again? Hasook?) on. She was five steps inside the building, ready to take the stairs up to the players' box, when a voice stopped her.

"We need to talk."

Korra would recognize that steely tone anywhere. It was Chief Lin Beifong, and Korra probably owed her a good explanation or two for her absence over the past two weeks.

"Maybe we should go somewhere more private?" Korra suggested, grimacing as Lin stepped towards her, trademark scowl on her face.

"Just keep walking. I assume that you're talented enough to talk and walk at the same time, although I wouldn't put money on your being able to walk and listen."

Following the Cheif's orders, Korra marched onwards.

"You've been with them for more than two weeks. How is it that this is the first time that you and I have had any sort of contact?"

Korra bit her lip.

"I've been busy?" Korra looked at her hopefully, "Right, sorry. To be completely honest, there hasn't been much to report. I thought that I was only supposed to report stuff if it was really urgent, and the other stuff could just wait until you or Tenzin called a meeting."

They turned a corner, and came to a stop. "But I do have some important information for you."

"Spit it out then," Lin demanded.

"At the rally next week, Amon is going to demonstrate to the public just how powerful he really is. He's going to let them know that he can take bending away permanently."

Lin drew a sharp breath, and crossed her arms.

"Are you sure?"

"They called it a revelation, but I'm positive that is what it is. And I think that they are going to do it to some of the members of triads."

"Well at least they're starting with the criminals," muttered Lin to herself, "This will be our first real proof that he can do it. All the rest has just been well founded rumors. Nothing solid. But this, if he gets away with it, it'll be real."

Korra wondered if there had ever been any doubt if it was real. Probably, she thought, since the idea that someone who wasn't the Avatar could remove a person's bending was absolutely ridiculous. But there had been stories, first hand accounts from people that Chief Beifong trusted, and now they were going to have real, hard proof. She knew that everyone had been hoping that this day would never come.

"What are we going to do about it?" Korra asked, chewing her lip.

Lin thought for a moment, thoughtfully rubbing her fingers across her scars.

"We are going to wait," she said, and Korra groaned; she hated waiting, "There's no way that we can peacefully disband a meeting as big as what this is supposed to be. We still don't know where it is, or did they tell you?" Korra shook her head no, "We can't put any extra security around the Triads. If we do that, we give away the fact that we have a mole, and it's still so early."

"So we're just going to let this happen?" Korra asked, slightly incredulous.

"There's nothing that we can do about. Not yet, not without a decision by the council, or absolute proof that Amon is capable of what we think he is," Lin shook her head gravely, "I think we're done here. Stay in touch."

She turned to walk away from Korra and was about halfway back down the hall when Korra remembered, and shouted after her.

"Chief! I forgot to tell you! They're using tunnels to get around. That's how they've been able to hide so well."

Lin turned around, and smiled at Korra for a moment, before walking away for good.

Korra turned back and headed into the arena, letting the roar of the crowd overtake her.

"-of a hat trick folks! Mako pulls off the upset of the season, winning the match for the Fire Ferrets!" comes the voice of the announcer over the radios installed in the halls of the arena.

She had missed it. Sprinting full speed to the players' box, she burst through the door at the exact same moment as an ecstatic Bolin leapt into the room, followed by Mako and Hasook. She smiled widely at them, but Hasook just brushed past her, slamming the door behind him.

"What's his problem?" she muttered, glancing over his shoulder.

"He's terrible, that's what!" Mako fumed, "Did you see how he played tonight? He was _awful_!"

Korra shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, studying the extra uniforms lying across the benches. She could practically hear the grin slide off of Bolin's face.

"You missed it, didn't you?" he said dejectedly.

"No! Well...yes," she amended, "I would have been here, but someone stopped me outside and I heard about you, Mr. Hat Trick."

Mako didn't smile.

"Whatever," he said, and took off the pads of his uniform, "I'll see you upstairs."

Bolin put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's fine, Korra. If we win one more, we're in the tournament. Then we'll have plenty of matches for you to come to."

She smiled at him, and followed him out of the room and back up to the attic. Mako was sitting on the couch, drinking tea. Of course he was, she thought. Why go out and celebrate a win when you could sit at home, by yourself?

"Look," she said, sitting down next to him, "I really am sorry. I'll be there next time. I promise."

"If you could bring a decent waterbender with you too, that'd be great," Mako replied through gritted teeth.

Korra laughed. If she had it her way, she would have volunteered to be their waterbender in a second. But, things being what they were, with the growing threat of Amon, and her undercover role in this counterrevolution, there was no chance of that, or of her telling Mako and Bolin the truth any time soon.

* * *

The morning after Mako and Bolin's next match (which she made it to), Korra waited patiently for Mako to dish out her helping of noodles, and inhaled their scent with an enormous amount of gusto as he finally spilled them into her bowl.

"These smell _great_," she said, before snatching up her chop sticks to wolf them down.

"Thanks," Mako replied gruffly, and sat down to join her and Bolin.

"What's wrong with you, Mr. Grumpy Face?" she asked, poking him with her chopsticks. He shoved her hand away.

"We're going to have to drop out of the tournament," he said, looking down at his food.

"What? Why?" Korra asked, jaw dropping.

"Because we can't pay the fee for entry," Bolin explained, "We don't have nearly enough Yuans."

"I'll help!" Korra volunteered, but Mako only laughed.

"Thanks, but we don't need your charity, and I don't think you have that kind of money anyways. It's really a lot."

"I'll get a job," she said.

"You still don't have a job?" Bolin asked, surprised.

Korra swallowed. She had told the brothers that she was out looking for a job every day, when in actuality, she had been doing no such thing. She shook her head no, her mind racing to come up with a good story.

"No, all the places that I've gone to have turned me away once they found out I couldn't bend."

"That's ridiculous," Bolin said, "Come on, we'll help you get a job."

Of course, Korra hadn't been looking for a job at all over the last few weeks, but she was pretty sure that if she had, she wouldn't have been able to get one. She wasn't particularly good at anything-besides bending, anyways, and for now, that wasn't an option.

"I've spent the last ten years looking for jobs in this city; I know places that will hire you, regardless of whether or not you can bend," Mako said, "And maybe we can get some work of our own."

* * *

About an hour later, they were making their way through a cramped and grimy side street, Mako leading the way. Korra followed a few feet behind, walking next to Bolin, who was eating some sort of food on a stick.

"Want some?" he asked between bites.

"No thanks, Bolin," Korra said, "I'm full."

He shrugged and went back to gnawing away at it as they turned the corner came to a halt in front of a dilapidated looking shop. The faded green awning was rattling in the wind, and the glass of the windows was dirty, too unclean for Korra to see through. Mako strolled forward, and opened the door, a tiny bell tinkling as they entered the shop.

"Ick, it smells like dust in here," Korra said, wrinkling her nose.

"Maybe if you didn't insult shopkeepers, you'd be able to get a job," Mako hissed at her as a short and rather round man waddled towards them.

"Afternoon," he said, his voice low and rumbling, "How may I help-Mako? Bolin? Is that you?"

The man shuffled forward, squinting at them from behind thick spectacles.

"It sure is Zhu," Mako said, stepping towards the man, "And this is Korra."

"Pleasure to meet you," Zhu said, sticking out his hand to Korra, "I'm Zhu."

"Nice to meet you too," Korra replied, grasping his hand firmly.

Mako cleared his throat. "Korra is new in Republic City, and she's been looking for a job. But she's been turned away by everywhere that she's gone because she's a nonbender," Mako explained, "I was hoping that you might be able to give her a job. You and you wife were always there to help us out when we needed you to."

Zhu scratched his goatee for a moment, and peered down his nose at Korra. She shifted uncomfortably.

"Since my Min died, I've been struggling to keep things running around here. I guess I could use some help, yeah."

Mako and Bolin beamed. Korra forced a smile onto her face.

"I can't promise you any fantastic wages," he continued, "But you can have the job. Start work tomorrow, at eight."

"Thank you," Korra said graciously, biting the inside of her cheek.

Bolin put his arm around Korra, pulling her into a crushing hug. Resistance being futile, Korra gave in and pressed her face against his shoulder. They walked out of the shop, and back down the street to the waterfront.

"I was thinking," Bolin said, "That maybe I could take Pabu and we could do a little preforming circus outside the station? To bring in a little extra cash?"

He looked up at Mako with huge, green eyes. His older brother laughed.

"I'm serious Bo. I'll take care of this, and I don't need you coming up with one of your ridiculous schemes to help us out," he said.

Bolin slumped, and Korra put her arm around him, glaring at Mako. When they were back at the arena, Mako left them, going off to find some real work, and Korra and Bolin headed up to the attic.

"I can help, you know," Bolin told her, "I'm not some little kid."

"I know, Bolin," Korra said, "But I think Mako is just so used to taking care of you, that he sees it as his job alone."

"I know," he sighed, "But I can help. And I'm going to."

He jumped up from his seat on the couch and grabbed his shoes.

"Pabu!" he called, "Come on buddy! We're going out!"

The fire ferret leapt onto Bolin's shoulders, and they set off at a furious pace, Korra smiling after them. It was better this way; she wouldn't have to make an excuse when she had to go out later.

Today was the day, their first real assignment. Their hit on the Triads. To say that she wasn't nervous would be a blatant lie, but Korra had never been one to show fear. She pulled up the floorboard by her bed, and grabbed her uniform. It was time for her to go.

She walked to Ami's in a daze-like state, trying not to think too much about what she was going to have to do. It wasn't that she minded fighting people; she _loved _fighting people, especially people who deserved to lose, and the Triads definitely did. It was that they were going to lose a lot more than a fight in the next day. They were going to lose something that was an innate part of who they were. That was far worse than death, Korra thought, as she made her way down the trap door and into the cellar.

Everyone was quiet, either nervous or concentrating, or both, as they left through the tunnels. Eri lead them down a new path, down new, larger tunnels and into what looked like a transport stop and a prison. Amon was waiting for them, along with the Lieutenant.

"Amon, we are ready," Eri said.

Korra felt Amon's eyes sweep over the unit, not lingering for too long on any one person.

"Good. You know where to bring them when you have them," he said, and turned to walk away with the Lieutenant.

"We're going in a transport," Bae told them, "This way."

There was a huge van, like no Satomobile that Korra had ever seen before. It was armored and reinforced, with what looked like motorcycles inside the back. The unit clamored inside, and shut the doors behind them.

Korra counted to ten in her head, taking calming breaths as the van drove through down the tunnel, and up into the city. They came to a halt, and the doors swung open. This was it.

"Let's go," Eri commanded, "Move out."

Stealthily, the unit crept around to the back of the building, ready for the attack. Korra opened the back door to the Triad's headquarters, repeating the plan of attack over and over in her head as she stepped inside. Everything that they had gone over, every little piece of information and hour of training that she had received disappeared from her mind the moment she saw the first target standing before her, green eyes wide with confusion and fear.

It was Bolin.

* * *

dun dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuun!

Sorry for the wait, guys! I've been out of town doing super fun stuff (included but not limited to writing horrendously bad and euphemism full Zukka slash with friends because why the hell not) and since I had only had two chapters of this written when I left, I had nothing to publish while I was away, and really no time to write anything new. Anyways, here it is now, and I'd like to say thank you for all the incredible reviews! I love you all! Hope everyone has had an amazing summer!


	4. The Revelation

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, only a computer.**

**The Other Side**

**_Chapter 4: The Revelation_**

Korra froze. The way he was standing there in front of her, arms slack at his sides, mouth slightly open, Bolin looked so helpless. She knew that she could have him subdued in about five seconds flat, but her limbs refused to move. It was wrong. Bolin wasn't one of them; he was a good guy, one of the best. He was sweet and innocent and above all he was her friend. She couldn't hurt him. But she didn't have to.

Pushing past her, Ira immobilized Bolin with five rapid strikes. With a heavy thud, he fell to the ground, and stared up at the group of Equalists with terror. Korra pried her eyes away from him, trying to press all thoughts of him from her mind. She was there on a mission. There was a job that needed doing, and if she screwed this up, she'd probably be demoted, and never be able to get the information that she needed. She had to do this.

She moved forward, advancing on the remaining members of the triads, who were scrambling to get out of the building. She knocked two to the ground, jabbing swiftly, temporarily removing their bending. It was easy. They were big and slow. The Equalists moved quickly, and before Korra knew it, the fight was over.

They bound and gagged their prisoners, and hauled them out to the truck. Korra hopped in when they were all loaded, and glanced back at the other Equalists who were mounting motorcycles, preparing to leave. There was a loud bang, and the back door to the Triad headquarters burst open, and to Korra's horror, Mako ran out into the street.

"Bolin!" he shouted, and his brother looked up.

Korra slammed the door to the truck shut, gripping the inside handle tightly as they lurched into motion. There was no way that Mako would be able to catch them on foot, or rescue his brother. It was probably for the best, though. If he came, they would just take him too.

The ride back underground was excruciating. Watching Bolin struggle against his bonds was awful. Watching all of them struggle against their bonds was awful, really. And they had no idea what was going to happen to them. No idea at all.

They arrived at an underground prison, and unloaded the prisoners. Korra had first watch over them, along with Bae and Teru.

"Please don't do this," Bolin said to Teru through his gag, as he chained him to the wall.

Korra looked away. Bolin sagged against the wall, head between his knees. He looked so defeated, green eyes rimmed red from crying.

Everyone sat in silence for hours, after the initial raging screams of the triad members. They quieted down after Korra blocked their chi again, and Bae tightened their gags. Bolin was the only one who didn't struggle anymore, and for that, Teru removed his gag.

Panting for breath, Bolin looked up at Korra. She wondered what he would think if he ever found out that it was her behind the mask. He would hate her, even if she were to explain why she was doing it. She wouldn't blame him. He was terrified, and rightly so.

"What's going to happen to us?" he asked after a long time, his voice tiny.

Korra's throat was dry; she couldn't speak to him. If she spoke, he would know it was her.

"Stay quiet unless you want to be gagged again," Bae growled.

Bolin whimpered, and shrunk away from them, pressing himself back against the wall that he was chained to.

He stayed there, and Korra watched him for hours, resisting the urge that she had to free him and run. When their shifts finally changed, Korra was torn between relief and despair. She wouldn't have to stare at Bolin's hopeless face any longer, but she wouldn't know if he was still alright.

Away from the prison, she turned to Bae.

"Can I stay?" she asked.

"It's late. You should get some sleep," he said, not giving her an answer.

"I can't go home right now," she said, and he nodded, as if he understood.

"First job," he muttered, "I know that feeling. Don't worry. It gets better. I saw how you froze back there in the building. It's fine. That kid was really young."

"Yeah," Korra said, "I wasn't expecting anyone like him to be there.

"They're criminals, Kanna. You know what these people do. They steal and murder and rape. Don't be fooled by appearances. That kid could be a killer."

But he's not, thought Korra. Bolin is nothing like that.

"So can I stay?" she asked again.

"Sure," he said, "If you keep going down this tunnel here, there's a barracks with a few bunks. Someone will come to get you in a couple of hours."

Korra smiled at him, before remembering that he couldn't see it behind her mask.

"Thanks."

She trudged down the tunnel and found the barracks that she was looking for. They were empty, with only three rickety looking cots on metal frames, a wash basin in the corner and a flickering light hanging from the ceiling. Korra pulled off her mask and collapsed onto the bed, burying her face in stiff pillow.

She dreamed about Mako, standing alone on the steps of the Pro Bending arena, holding Bolin's uniform in his hands. She moved towards him, stretching out her arms to hug him, but he turned away.

"This is because of you," he spat out, "You betrayed us."

She tried to scream out that she was sorry, that it was all for the greater good, but the words got stuck in her throat, and suddenly she was choking. Grasping at her neck, she tried to breath.

"Help," she croaked out, and suddenly Aang was hovering before her, eyes and tattoos glowing with the spirit of the Avatar.

He raised a hand, as if to strike her, and Korra closed her eyes, waiting for the blow to come.

"You shouldn't remove your mask when you are on duty."

Korra awoke, eyes shooting open.

"Huh?" she mumbled, rubbing her face blearily.

"Don't worry. You are among friends, but I can assure you that we have enemies here as well."

It was Amon. He was looming in the doorway of the barracks, looking down at Korra, sprawled across the cot.

"I'm sorry, sir," Korra managed, and fumbled around in search of her mask. She couldn't find it.

"I don't know where it is," she muttered, feeling her heart rate begin to escalate.

Dropping off the cot, she searched the floor for it, feeling foolish. She glanced back up at Amon, to see that he had it in his outstretched hand. Embarrassedly, she got to her feet and took it from him.

"Thank you, sir."

Her heart was pounding in her ears as she began to put it back on.

"I dream of a world in which we will not have to wear masks," Amon said, startling Korra.

"And why is that, sir?" she asked cautiously, pulling the mask all the way on.

"We wear these masks," he motioned to the one on his face, "to hide our scars, to hide who we really are, because if we did not, we would be hunted down for thinking differently. Soon we will live in a world where you can show your pretty face to the world without fear of retribution for your beliefs. You will never have to fear scars like mine."

Korra opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

"I'm sorry," Amon said, "Have I frightened you? I forget myself, sometimes."

"You don't scare me," Korra said quickly, and perhaps a little too quickly, because Amon chuckled.

"Then you're a very brave girl," he said, "And we are lucky to have you. I believe that Eri was about to send for you to return to the prison."

Amon turned and walked away, fading into the darkness of the tunnel. Korra was left standing there, trying to steady her hands that she didn't know had been shaking. Calming herself down, Korra began to make her way back to the prison. As she made her way down the tunnel, she remembered Zhu, and the new job that he had given her. She winced inwardly; this was not how she wanted to start things out with him, by lying to cover up her absence.

Bolin was asleep when she got back to the prison, his chains positioned awkwardly under his body. Korra watched his chest rise and fall with each sighing breath. _I'm so sorry_, she thought, _I'm so sorry, Bolin._

"Good, you're awake," said Eri, approaching her from behind, "We don't have that much time."

He pulled her and the rest of the team aside, out of earshot of the prisoners.

"At the rally, Amon is going to bring all these criminals out onto the stage. Five of us will already be on the stage, and one of us will bring them out when he needs them. That will be your job, Teru. The rest of you will stand in a line behind Amon with the Lieutenant. You will remain there. When Teru brings the prisoners out, three of you will guard them until Amon calls them forward. Those three will be Kanna, Ira and Bae. Fen and myself will be with the Lieutenant. Is everything understood?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Now help load the prisoners back into the van. They must be bound tightly. No mistakes."

Korra marched back to the prisoners and began undoing Bolin's chains. He woke with a start, staring at her with wild eyes.

"Let go of me!" he cried out, and Korra's heart ached.

She undid the chains, and wrapped a thick coil of rope around him, binding his arms to his body. Grabbing his shoulders, she steered him to the van, thrusting him inside. With everyone inside, they set off once again. She sat down on the bench opposite Bolin, conscious of the way that he was staring at her.

"Why do you hate us so much?" he asked her, and Korra looked up.

"Because you are robbers, bullies, murderers and monsters," Ira answered for her, "You destroy people's lives for your own greedy profit."

Bolin scrunched his eyebrows.

"I've never hurt anyone," Bolin said, "Other than in the Pro-Bending arena. Not all benders are evil."

"Be _quiet_," snapped Bae, and whacked Bolin across the face before turning to Ira, "And do not speak to the prisoners."

Silence returned to the van, and they rode without speaking all the way through the tunnels and to the compound where the rally was being held.

"Teru, you'll keep watch of the prisoners off of the stage with some of the others. You know your cue to bring them out."

They began to unload the prisoners, shoving them up and down hallways until they reached the side entrance to the platform from which Amon would be speaking. A small group of other Equalists was waiting for them, and the unit turned the prisoners over to them, leaving Teru behind. She glanced back at Bolin, cowering between two massive Equalists, crying out for someone to help him. Korra gulped, and followed the rest of the unit away.

"Good evening," said Amon upon their arrival, "I trust that all of our prisoners are in good health?"

"Yes, sir," Eri told him, stepping forward, "Everything is ready."

"Good."

The satisfaction that Korra could hear in his voice made her stomach turn. She felt ill as Fen shepherded her towards her spot on the pack of the movable platform, and was shaking with anticipation by the time they began to move. Tonight, it wasn't Amon who terrified her-it was Bolin.

As they moved slowly upwards, the noise of the crowd poured over Korra, and she wondered if anyone would even be able to hear Bolin's cries for help. Probably not, she thought as they came to a stop. She looked out over the crowd, and her jaw dropped behind her mask.

There were thousands of them. Thousands of angry non-benders, packed in to the warehouse, falling silent as Amon and his Equalists rose up on the stage before them. Korra was in awe. The gifts that she had been born with were amazing and powerful, but this, what Amon had, she thought, was true power. Thousands of people rallied behind him, thousands of people who wanted to hear what he had to say. Thousands of silent people who looked to him as their voice.

And it was her job to strike him down.

She didn't even listen to him speak; Lin would have her spies in the crowd. She would know what was said. Instead, Korra scanned the faces of the crowd and saw that there was not one unifying feature of these people other than the utter passion and rage as they listened to Amon speak. They were all different kinds of people. Men, women, old and young. They came from everywhere, it seemed, brought together by a common enemy-benders.

"And do not think that the Avatar is there for you. The Avatar, who has hidden away in arrogance and in fear, keeping their identity a secret, will not come to your rescue. They will not save you from their precious and powerful benders. They will tell you that bending brings balance to the world. But they are wrong. Bending has been the cause of every war, in every era, but that," he paused briefly, "is about to change."

Korra continued to scan the crowd as he spoke, and she nearly cried out when her eyes fell on one particular person, a boy in a news cap, red scarf wrapped around his face. Mako. He couldn't be here, Korra thought. He would never be able to sit by and watch as Bolin had his bending ripped from him. And if he tried to intervene, he would suffer the ame fate.

"I know you have been wondering, _what is the revelation?_" Amon continued, "You are about to get your answer. Since the beginning of time, the spirits have acted as guardians of our world, and they have spoken to me. They say the Avatar has failed humanity. That is why the spirits have chosen _me_ to usher in a new era of balance. They have granted me that will make equality a reality, the power to take a person's bending away. Permanently."

Gasps of shock and disbelief rippled through the crowd, and Korra watched Mako grow pale. He was making the connections on his own. He knew what was about to happen to his brother. There had to be a way out of this, Korra thought. There had to be a way to save Bolin.

"Now, for a demonstration," Amon said, and Korra could practically hear the glee in his voice, "Please welcome Lightning Bolt Zolt, leader of the Triple Threat Triad and one of the most notorious criminals in Republic City."

The crowd hurled insults up at him, booing as he was forced onto the stage.

"Ahh, boo yourself," he spat back at them, glaring out at the audience.

The other prisoners were brought out onto the stage and forced to their knees in front of the Equalists. Bolin was hunkered over in front of Korra, and she wanted so badly to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, and to get him out of there. She stood tall though, and stared out at the crowd, watching the pained expression on Mako's face turn to rage, and then watched as his face screwed up in concentration, no doubt trying to think Bolin and himself out of the situation. She saw his eyes lingering on the ceiling. Pipes.

Her attention snapped back to Amon as Zolt sent lightening hurtling towards Amon, in response to his challenge. Amon dodged the attack easily, and forced Zolt to the ground. Korra could only look on in horror as Amon gripped Zolt's neck and placed a thumb to his forehead. Zolt let out choked cries as the lightning weakened, slowly turning to flame. When the fire had burnt out, Amon released him, and Zolt fell to the ground. He struggled to get up, lunging out at Amon, trying to bend, but no flames would come to him.

So it was true.

"What did you do to me?" Zolt asked Amon, his voice tiny, almost like a child's.

"Your firebending is gone forever," Amon said, and turned back to the crowd, "The era of bending is over. A new era of equality has begun!"

The applause was deafening. The crowd was ecstatic. Korra was horrified. And Mako, it seemed, was on the move.

As Ira yanked the triad member from the ground and kicked him towards Amon, Korra saw Mako begin to move towards the stage. She could help. She knew that she could.

Bolin was next in line, and as Korra bent over to untie him, she discreetly bent the water in the overhead pipes, creating so much pressure in the pipes that they would surely burst. As Bolin was released, and stumbled towards Amon, Korra waited for her opportune moment.

"Uh, hello, uh Amon, sir," Bolin mumbled, "I think there's been a big misunderstanding."

Amon advanced on Bolin. Korra gulped. This was it.

She burst the pipes, and as soon as the water was free, she bent it into steam. Screams pierced through the haze, and Korra raced forward blindly. She put an arm around Bolin, attempting to drag him out of the steam and to safety, but she felt strong arms grip her. It was Mako. Without hesitation, she let go of Bolin, and backed off. The brothers gave her quizzical looks, but sprinted out of the warehouse as fast as they could.

Korra breathed a sigh of relief as she saw them make their escape, and was ready to relax until she saw the Lieutenant dart after them, weapons out and ready for a fight. She chased after him, and watched as he electrocuted Bolin and Mako. The two brothers lay limply on the ground as the Lieutenant moved in for the kill. He didn't know she was there; no one knew that she was there. From her hiding spot, Korra lifted her arms, and raised the ground from beneath the Lieutenants feet. He was slammed back against the wall, knocked unconscious, giving Mako and Bolin enough time to get up and run.

Footsteps from inside grew louder, and Korra began to sprint after Mako and Bolin.

"Let them go," came Amon's voice from above, and Korra stopped running.

She turned back and looked up at him.

"They are nothing," he said, "Rejoin your unit."

Quickly, Korra made her way back up to the warehouse. Her unit was waiting for her.

"How did that happen?" Eri demanded to know, shouting at the walls, "How could we let that happen?"

"No need to worry," Amon reassured him, "We did all that we needed to do. The people know how powerful we are. That was the point of this, and our point was well made."

Eri stopped shouting, and nodded.

"Good evening to you all," Amon said, "I must go now."

Korra watched as he moved away, and noticed that his eyes were a blue grey. That was funny. She had always thought that they would be gold or brown, but when she thought about it, blue made more sense. It was colder.

"You may all return home. We will meet again in two days. Be safe," Eri said.

The unit dissipated, each trudging wearily in their own direction. By the time Korra was dressed in her street clothes again, she was exhausted. She was sure that she would collapse before she got back to the arena, sure that someone would discover her dead body in a Republic City back alley, and the cycle of the Avatar would begin again.

Eventually, she made it back. Nervously, she walked into the attic, trying to prepare herself for Mako's tirade. The brothers were sitting together on the couch, drinking tea. Bolin had his knees curled up to his chest, and Korra was reminded of how he had scrunched himself up against the prison wall. He looked so vulnerable. At least here, he had Mako to take care of him.

"Where have you been?" Mako asked her, his voice bitter, but not as angry as she had anticipated, "I came back here to get your help to look for Bolin, but you weren't here."

Korra drew a breath.

"Where have I been?" she asked, pointing at herself, "Where have _you_ been?" she pointed an accusatory finger at Mako, "I go out for a little while, come back, and I don't see you guys for over a day! I've been out looking for you all day!"

Mako hung his head.

"I'm sorry," he said, "Bolin got captured by Equalists."

Korra let her mouth hang open, as if she were shocked.

"What?! How?! Why?! Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Bolin said, "I got lucky. He almost took my bending away."

"He what?" Korra asked, trying to sound astounded.

"He can remove people's bending," Mako said, "I could barely believe it."

Korra collapsed onto the couch next to them.

"I'm so sorry," she said, wrapping her arms around Bolin, like she had wanted to the entire time that he was captured.

He hugged her back tightly, and Korra was surprised by how much she had needed it too. If things kept going like this, someone was going to end up broken sooner or later.

"I missed my first day at work," she said to them.

"Don't worry about it," Mako said, "Zhu will understand. He always does."

"Good," Korra said, snuggling up on the couch.

The three of them fell asleep there, and the three of them dreamed of Amon.

* * *

whooop! sorry for the long time between updates! back to school business and such... anyways now that we've got that little escapade out of the way, let's see what Korra gets up to with Amon and the Equalists!

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I appreciate all of them so so so so so much. Feel free to keep leaving them :)

hope everyone's summer was beyond amazing and that if you're going back to school that you have a wonderful year!  
xx


	5. Party Planning

**disclaimer: I own nothing, only a computer**

**The Other Side  
**

**_Chapter 5: Party Planning_**

* * *

It was nearly eight in the morning when Korra felt cold hands drag her from her bed.

"WHA-!" she yelped, jolting awake, "Mako! What are you doing?"

"You have to get to work, Korra," he said, pulling her to her feet, "Zhu is a good guy, and I know you skipped out on your first day of work to look for me and Bo, but you've gotta go today."

_Zhu_. She had totally forgotten about the job that Mako and Bolin had managed to get her. She didn't even know what she would be doing at the new job, just that it would pay a little and occupy her days.

"Alright, alright. I'm going," Korra said, swatting Mako away, "Make breakfast or something."

"You don't have time to eat," he said, glaring at her, "And I'm not your personal chef."

Korra yawned and rolled her eyes.

"What ever. Get out so I can change."

Grumbling under his breath, Mako left her alone, and in five minutes, she was ready to go. It was a miracle that she was only late by ten minutes, skidding to a halt outside the shabby shop just as Zhu was flipping the closed sign to open.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" she panted, hurrying inside.

"Late, huh? Why don't you tell me why you didn't show up at all yesterday?" he asked her gruffly.

"Bolin was captured by the Equalists, and Mako went to look for him. I didn't know where either of them were so I went out to search for both of them," Korra lied, following Zhu back into the shop.

Zhu's eyes widened.

"Equalists? I get as much trouble from benders as the next person, but those Equalists... I'm not sure how I feel about them yet," he mused, "Is Bolin alright? He never got ruffed up as much as his brother, when they were growing up. I'm sure he's a tough kid, though."

"He's fine," Korra said, picturing Bolin's terrified expression as he was paraded on stage, "Shaken but fine."

Zhu nodded thoughtfully.

"That's good," he said, "Now. You can get to work!"

He dusted off an old, leather book, and opened the covers.

"Uh, what exactly do you sell here, if you don't mind me asking?" Korra asked, looking around the shop. She couldn't pick out a particular theme from any of the items.

"Imports from all the nations. Mostly just odds and ends, but you'd be surprised how many people like this sort of thing. They can have a sense of their ancestry without having to leave the city," he explained, "I've got a new shipload of items coming in from Ba Sing Se today. You don't mind doing physical labor?"

Korra shook her head.

"To be honest, sir, I don't really think I can do much else," she admitted.

"Nonsense," he said, "I'll make a bookkeeper out of you before the month is over. But today, if it's not too much trouble, you could head on down to the docks and pick up my shipments for me."

"No, not at all," Korra said, "But how should I transport them back here?"

Zhu smiled.

"I'm assuming that you don't drive; most girls from the northern water tribe don't."

"I'm learning," Korra said, pouting a little.

"Well, until you're competent enough, you're just gonna have to carry the boxes back. There isn't that much, and it's not too far."

* * *

Half an hour later, Korra was on her way down to the docks, a crumpled up piece of paper in her hand with the address of where to pick the goods up scrawled on it. She made a mental note to hurry up and finish her driving training.

It was late morning, and the docks were crowded with men, crates hoisted over their shoulders, shouting at one another, laughing and grumbling together. Korra didn't see another woman in the entire unloading area as she made her way up to the ship's clerk.

"I'm here to pick up a shipment from Ba Sing Se," she said to the clerk, a thin, spindly looking man with rectangular glasses.

"For whom?" he asked, looking down his nose at her.

"For Zhu's Import Emporium," Korra said.

"Do you have any sort of identification?"

"No... I have a note from Zhu, though," she offered him a second small slip of paper.

He took it from her, scanning it thoroughly.

"This will do," he said, and stomped his foot, sliding the earth beneath several crates, moving them towards Korra, "We have to be very careful these days. The port is full of unemployed non-benders hoping to make a profit off of stolen goods."

Korra picked up the crate and narrowed her eyes at the man.

"I'm sure it's not just non-benders who are selling things on the black market," she said, heaving the crate onto her shoulders.

"Oh, I assure you, it is. Since they don't have the skills set to work in any of the other jobs in the city, they resort to crime to get by. It's quite pathetic," he sniffed.

"Yeah, well, Zhu's a non-bender," Korra said defensively, "And so am I," she added.

The man's demeanor changed instantly, his mouth falling open slightly in shock. Korra snorted; he looked like he couldn't decide whether or not to apologize or to yell at her.

"I'll be back to pick up the rest of the crates," she said before he could respond, and began making her way back to the shop.

It took three trips, and five refusals of help from the burly men at the docks. Korra could manage just fine on her own. By the time that she was done, it was lunch.

"Thank you for your excellent work this morning, Korra," Zhu said, filling her cup with aromatic tea.

"Thanks for the job," she said, and picked up her chopsticks, ready to dig in.

The two of them ate in silence for a while, before Korra put down her chopsticks and asked Zhu a question.

"Is it true that non-benders are stealing from the docks and selling items on the black market?"

"Well, I'm sure that it is," Zhu said, "But I'm also pretty sure that just as many benders are thieves as well."

"Then why did the ship's clerk today specifically tell me that non-benders are the ones committing the crimes?"

"Because that is the way that the benders on the city council are telling the story, and that is the story that is being spread across all the nations. It's just a prejudice that people have against us."

Korra thought for a moment and said, "But he also said non-benders couldn't get jobs in the city."

"You have a job. I have a job," Zhu pointed out.

"But I couldn't get a job anywhere else," Korra said, giving her false backstory once again.

"Perhaps you were looking in the wrong places," he said.

"I looked _everywhere_."

It was a lie, but Korra wanted to know what Zhu really thought, and get a real answer, not another round about, vague one.

"Then maybe the clerk is right and we do have a problem with criminal non-benders in this city."

Korra sighed. She was getting nowhere with him. She could tell that he wasn't telling her what he really thought, and she wanted to know why, but she didn't know him well enough to know how far she could press the issue. _Better safe than sorry_, she thought, and changed the topic to pro-bending.

* * *

"Councilman Tarrlok has issued a statement calling for the disbandment of all Equalist meetings, and related groups, including the defense classes that we provide for non-benders who wish to learn how to fend off benders," Eri said as the unit entered the underground bunker "It's not an official warrant for the end of us, not that we would accept than anyways, but it is a direct, public confrontation."

"What's Amon going to do?" Korra asked as they made their way into an empty communications room.

"I am going to let Councilman Tarrlok come," Amon said, stepping out of the shadows; it was all Korra could do not to jump, "Let him try to dismantle us. Soon he will find out that we will not surrender as easily as he and his friends think."

"And what if he plans to enforce his statement?" the Lieutenant said, moving forward, "Do we strike back?"

"For now, we continue on with everything as planned," Amon said.

"Then what exactly are we doing here?" Korra asked, and immediately regretted it, feeling the eyes of every person turn to her, glaring at her for her insolence.

"That is a good question," Amon said, motioning for the other Equalists to stand down; he wasn't angry at Korra for questioning his plans, "I have a little announcement to make, and we're going to send it out tonight."

Bae handed Amon a microphone that was wired up to what looked like some sort of transmitter. Eri fiddled with knobs and buttons on it, until it began making a whirring noise, and a red light flickered on. Amon raised the microphone to his mask, and began to speak.

"Good evening my fellow Equalists. This is your leader, Amon. As you've heard, the Republic City Council has voted to make me Republic City enemy number one, proving once again that the bending oppressors of this city will stop at nothing to quash our revolution."

Korra studied his body language as he spoke; he made gestures as if he were speaking to a crowd, his voice low and strong. There was deep seeded passion in his words, and he moved the hand that wasn't holding the microphone aggressively. Korra shivered.

"But we cannot be stopped; our numbers grow stronger by the day. You no longer have to live in fear. The time has come for benders to experience fear."

Eri hit another button, and the red light flickered off. Everyone let out a collective breath as the recording ended.

"You didn't just call us here to watch you give a broadcast, did you?" she asked, hoping that Amon's nonchalance towards her impertinence was not just a one time thing.

"Another good question, my friend," Amon said, "What was your name again?"

"Kanna," she said quickly, feeling her heart leap into her throat.

"Well, Kanna," Amon said, "You have been summoned here tonight in order to be prepared for an event we have planned for in a few days. The city council is holding an event, later this week, which the wealthy, largely bending, elite of the city will be attending. Councilman Tarrlok is the host, and I believe that we should stop by to pay our respects to him, don't you, Kanna?"

"Yes, sir," Korra said, "Are you going to take his bending away?"

"Not now," he said, "This is merely a courtesy call; I only wish to say hello, and express my deepest sorrow at his failure to invite me."

The Lieutenant let out a sharp laugh, and Korra shifted uneasily; she had to get this information to Lin, and soon.

"Three of you, Teru, Kanna, and Bae, will be stationed inside party as waiters," Eri said, "You will make sure that all the security forces are incapacitated. You will try to make yourselves as inconspicuous as possible, and slip away at nine o'clock to dress in your uniforms, and at nine fifteen exactly, the rest of us will break through the windows and into the party. You will slip back into the room, securing all exits so that no attendees may leave. Understood?"

"And if we are not able to incapacitate the security forces in time?" Teru asked.

"I have faith in your abilities," Eri said, "Report to the City Hall kitchens to get the waiters' gear. You've already been put on their staff list, and will be removed as soon as we're done."

Korra sensed Teru relax a little at her side; she wondered what would happen to him if he was somehow implicated in this. She didn't know what his situation was, and she reminded herself that she shouldn't care. It would only make everything harder.

They were dismissed from the meeting, and Teru, Ira, and Korra all left together to get changed back into civilian clothing.

"You shouldn't speak to him that way, you know," Ira said, looking down at her chest as she buttoned up her blouse.

"What do you mean?" Korra asked.

"The way you spoke to Amon. It was...inappropriate," she said, fishing around for the right word.

"He doesn't seem to mind," Korra shrugged, "And besides, we're all equals, aren't we?"

"He's still the leader," Ira said, "You should show a little deference."

Korra snorted, but nodded. There was no reason for her to go picking fights with her allies, no need for making enemies.

"Point taken," she conceded, although it pained her.

"You want to come for a drink?" Teru asked her.

Korra hesitated. She had declined the offer ever time before, but she needed desperately to make more connections in their unit. But she also urgently needed to the information that she had to Lin, who wouldn't be happy if she learned that Korra had been going for a drink instead of doing her job.

"The place is only just down the street," Teru told her, gesturing vaguely, "You don't have to stay long."

The vague direction in which he had gestured was sort of the same direction that it was to get to Lin's apartment. She could stop there afterwards. Lin would never know.

"Who's buying?" Korra asked, and Teru beamed.

* * *

The evening crowd had long since cleared out of the bar, and the smaller, seedier late night bunch were lounging around in the dimly lit, smoky room. A two man band was playing a soft, sad song. The three of them made their way through the haze to order their drinks, each coughing up a little money to pay the bartender.

They took a booth in the back, away from the band.

"So how do you like Republic City?" Teru asked her, "As lousy as home?"

"It's grown on me a little, I think," Korra said truthfully, "I've made a few friends, and finally managed to get a job, so things are a little easier."

"You're lucky," said Ira, gulping down nearly half of her drink in one go, "My husband has been out of work for months, and they keep cutting my pay. My oldest boy had to leave school to help bring in some money."

"You have kids?" Korra asked, and Ira's face softened.

"Five. Three girls and two boys. My oldest is around your age, and my youngest is three."

"That's wonderful," Korra said. _Add something personal to it_, she screamed at herself, "I have a brother and a sister."

"I remember. You mentioned them at that recruitment meeting," Ira said, "Benders, yes?"

"Yeah. But they didn't treat me like the benders here treated me; they loved me, but I just wasn't worth as much to my family and community as they were. The only thing my family expected of me was to have babies, and I'm not really a baby type of person. So I left."

She took a drink. Lying easier if she did that.

"What's the Northern Water Tribe like?" Teru asked, "I've always wanted to visit."

_Me too,_ Korra thought. She'd never actually been there, but before coming to Republic City, she had been briefed on all things Northern Water Tribe.

"Well, it's cold," she said, and the others laughed, "And wet. And beautiful. I miss the architecture, and the cleanness. Things were never grimy, and we always had enough food. I miss the animals, and I miss the view from the top of the cliffs, looking out over the sea."

"I miss home too," Teru said, sighing, "But I'm never going back to Ba Sing Se. Not even if you paid me."

"Why not?" Korra asked.

"The house that my family rented was owned by a cruel man, who drank and who kicked his pets. He would raise the rent without telling us, and then would demand that we have all of it, and if we didn't he'd lock someone up in an earth bent trap, crushing them until we could pay. And one day, my father refused, and the man snapped. He bent the earth so that my whole family was trapped, and set the place on fire. I wasn't home, but I saw everything happen. They all died, that day, and I was left to live on my own."

Teru set his drink down, and stared into it. Korra felt her insides curdle; there she was with her neat lie, sitting across from a man who's life had been messily torn apart by the people she was supposed to be trying to protect.

"Eventually, I came here, and started a new life. I found the Equalists, and here we are," he finished, smiling sadly at them.

"Spirits, we're a pathetic lot," Ira mumbled, laughing, and Teru joined her.

Korra, uncomfortably, remained silent.

"I should go," she said, "I've gotta get home."

"Well thanks for coming out with us," Teru said, "You should do it more often, Kanna."

She smiled at him.

"I think I will. Good night!"

When she stepped back into the cold night, she was relieved. There was an ache inside of her as she walked quickly to Lin Beifong's house. She could feel the pain anger of Teru and Ira and all the others who had been hurt simply because they weren't benders, and she felt the urge to shield them and protect them from harm. But she could also feel Bolin's terror, and felt the need to defend him and the other benders like him from the harm that Amon would do to them.

And Amon. The way that he spoke, the strength and power in his words could almost convince Korra that he was doing the right thing. It was absurd, she thought, but if she hadn't known the other half of this fight, she could almost feel herself being swayed by his smooth speeches and unrelenting determination. He terrified her still, but he didn't haunt her every waking moment.

She pressed the button to buzz up to Chief Beifong's apartment, and saw the light flicker on through the window. Lin came to the door.  
"Korra?" she said, tying her robe around her, "It's the middle of the night. This better be important."

"It is," Korra told her, "Trust me."

"You better come in, then."

She let Korra inside the apartment, which was nice, Korra thought. She had been expecting a conversation on the cold doorstep, not a seat on a soft and comfortable couch.

"Amon wants to crash Tarrlok's party," she said as soon as the door was shut and the drapes closed."

"What?!"

"Don't worry, he's not taking anyone's bending, but he does want to make a little speech, I think."

"Tell me everything," Lin demanded, pouring herself a drink. Korra reached for the bottle, and poured one of her own.

"Three of us, including myself, are going to be posing as waiters in the party. We're supposed to slip away and incapacitate any security forces there, and after Amon and the others make their entrance, we're to secure all exits."

Korra drained her glass.

"That's bitter," she yelped, making a face.

"It's not a drink for kids," Lin said, taking a sip of her own.

"I'm not a child," Korra said, "I'm your main intelligence operative in this mission. So don't treat me like a child."

"I haven't treated you like a child," Lin said, "And I don't know where you got that impression from. I very much respect you, Avatar."

Korra blinked; it had been a long time since anyone had called her that. It had been a long time, indeed, since she'd practiced any of her bending forms. She was barely worthy of her title, she thought. An Avatar who was living under false pretenses, as a spy, hiding her gifts. She felt as worthless as she had described Kanna as being.

"You're doing good work, kid," Lin said, and patted Korra on the shoulder, "Thanks for bringing this to me right away. You should get home."

Korra nodded, and got up. Her head was a little cloudy from the alcohol at the bar, and her drink now with Lin. As she made her way back to the pro bending arena, she stumbled a bit, and wished that she had Naga there to carry her home. Just when she thought that she couldn't keep on going, she made it to the stairs, and wobbled her way up them to the attic. The lights were out. For once, the brothers weren't waiting up for her. Bolin was sprawled across his bed, Pabu curled up next to him, and Mako was spread out on the couch, a book open on his chest.

Climbing into her own bed, she found a handwritten note on her pillow.

_Dinner leftovers on the table if you want them. We've got practice in the morning, sorry we didn't wait up._

_-Mako_

Her stomach grumbled as she looked back down to the table. Sighing, she climbed out of bed, and grabbed the leftovers to eat. Munching on the the meat as she crawled under the covers, she wondered how the party crashing would go. Hopefully no one would get hurt, she thought. Hopefully no one would get hurt on either side.

* * *

wow it has been way too long since I've updated! I guess this is sort of a cliff hanger if you squint, just to keep you on your toes. we'll have a real adventure next chapter!

all the reviews are wonderful, and keep them coming!

-molly


	6. Party Crashing

**disclaimer: I own nothing, only a computer**

**The Other Side**

**_Chapter 6: Party Crashing_**

* * *

Korra ducked out of Zhu's shop five minutes after six, waving to Zhu as she went. It had been a slow day in the shop, the only customers being two old ladies looking for some old Fire Nation wall hangings. She had spent the day in the back room with Zhu, as he tried to teach her how to keep the extremely detailed store logs. It was tedious work, and after hours of it, Zhu had decided it would be better for both of their mental states if he taught her how to play pai sho instead.

She had until seven to get to the party, so she took her time wandering the streets, people watching as she went. It was dark out already, and the city was coming to life for the weekend. The night was full of bright lights of restaurants and the loud horns of the bands inside, and Korra smiled a little. It was nice to see that even in such troubling times, people still knew how to get out and have a good time. She came to the address of the building where the party was being held, and went in the entrance that she had been instructed to, peeling off her coat as she stepped inside.

"Kanna!" Teru called out to her, hopping up from the table that he had been sitting on, "I'm glad you're here!"

Korra glanced around.

"Bae isn't here yet," Teru told her, lowering his voice, "But he should be soon. It's almost seven."

A slim, older man in an impeccably smooth coat marched over to them.

"Kanna?" he asked, and Korra nodded, "Good. Your uniform for the evening is over there on the table. Make sure that it is returned by tomorrow afternoon, washed and dried. We will know if it isn't."

He nodded sharply at her, and marched away.

"Can't they pay for their own stuff to get cleaned?" Korra muttered, but grabbed her new clothes off of the table.

She sighed. It was a dress, of course. Korra couldn't remember the last time that she had worn a dress. She smiled at Teru before going off to find the changing room.

She yanked off her own clothes, and stuffed her arms through the holes in the dress, grumbling to herself as she struggled to make sure that every bit of it was properly secured. Finally, when she was confident that it wouldn't come undone, with her breasts popping out for everyone at the party to see, she patted down her hair and made her way back out to Teru. Bae had arrived, and was picking up his own uniform (not a dress, which Korra thought was unfair) when she stepped back into the room. He wolf-whistled as she marched up to them.

"You look good," he said, and Teru agreed, nodding vehemently.

"Yeah, yeah," Korra said, waving them off, "Commit it to memory because this is gonna be the last time that you see me wearing a dress."

She waited with Teru as Bae changed, and the three of them set off to hide their Equalist uniforms. Stashing them in three separate locations, the trio made their way to the kitchens, where the man who had spoken to Korra before was addressing a group of people all dressed in wait-staff uniforms.

"You will not speak to the guests unless spoken to, and even then, take up as little of their time as possible. Be moving around at all times, and do not ignore any of the guests. If you have any complaints about their behavior, unless it becomes violent, wait until after the party is over to report it. Do not embarrass yourselves," the man said, glaring down at them.

As he stepped down from his makeshift podium, everyone moved forward to grab a tray of food or drinks. Korra picked up one with elegant looking flutes of champagne, and moved out into the ballroom. No guests had arrived yet, so she and the rest of the waiters were mingling amongst themselves for the remaining five minutes until eight, when the doors would open. Bae and Teru joined her as she leaned up against a column, wishing that she could set the tray down.

"I don't think all the security has shown up yet," Bae said, "But I do see at least seven guys who seem to be private muscle."

"That's not too bad," Teru replied, glancing over to the door, where a couple of beefy looking men were standing, cross armed and sour faced, "Let's just hope that there isn't any police presence."

"Whatever happens, just make sure that you have your mask on first, and that no one notices that you've left," Bae told them, patting them each on the shoulder before walking away.

The clock struck eight, and the doors to the ballroom opened. Guests began pouring in, laughing and chattering as they entered. Korra stood up straight, and moved into the thick of the crowd, ready to serve drinks.

After ten minutes, Korra was already on her fourth tray, and was making her way through the crowd when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around. Lin Beifong was standing there, flanked by three of her metal bending cops.

"Would you like a drink, ma'am?" Korra asked, glaring as Lin smirked.

"I would, thank you very much," she replied, taking a flute from Korra's tray, and moving to walk past her, but stopping so that she could inconspicuously speak to Korra as she moved by, "How many of you are in here?"

"Three, including myself. We'll have to take down your cops soon."

"Don't worry, we've got some undercover officers in here," Lin said, and Korra glanced around nervously.

As much as she didn't want anyone else getting hurt, she dreaded the thought of being captured and unmasked as an Equalist in front of the entire party. She hoped that no one noticed when she slipped tiny capsules into the drinks of Lin's officers. The pills would slow the officers down, make them drowsy, and eventually knock them out. Hopefully, they wouldn't put it together that she had been the one to slip the pills into their drinks, or that Lin could come up with a reasonable explanation.

Lin moved on, and Korra stayed put, waiting for another thirsty guest.

"Korra!"

She spun around, her stomach dropping as she heard Bolin's voice calling to her. Not now, she thought. Please, not right now.

"Korra, hey!" Bolin said, pushing his way through the crowd, his brother and a pretty girl in tow, "I didn't know you were gonna be here!"

"I didn't either," Korra said, heart pounding, "Last minute job, extra cash. You know. But I didn't expect to see you guys here either!"

"I know! Asami here," Bolin gestured at the beautiful girl who was holding onto Mako's arm, "hit Mako when she was driving the other day and-"

"Are you alright?" Korra asked Mako, frowning at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, "She took me out to dinner, and is getting her father to sponsor the Fire Ferrets, and invited us to come to this dinner."

"It's nice to meet you," Asami said, smiling at Korra, "I've heard so much about you."

"Really? Because they haven't mentioned you at all."

She bit her tongue, lips pressed tight. She didn't intend to sound jealous. She wasn't interested in Mako like Asami clearly was. Well, maybe a little interested.

"Well maybe if you ever got home before midnight, or decided to come hang out with us once in a while, you might know what's going on in our lives," Mako snapped at her, his arm around Asami tightening.

Asami was still smiling at her, which made Korra feel even worse. She didn't need this right now. If Teru and Bae saw her talking to them, they would recognize Bolin, and realize that she knew him, and then everything would fall apart.

"Listen," she said, "I'm sorry for not being a very good friend. I've just been... really busy. We can hang out soon. All four of us. But I'm going to get in trouble if I'm seen talking to any guests for too long, so I should go."

Slightly mollified, her friends nodded, and said goodbye. Alone again, Korra glanced back up at the clock. It was nearly nine. As inconspicuously as she could, she began to make her way back to the kitchen, and had almost made it when a large man stepped in front of her.

"You, girl," he said, and Korra looked up.

She recognized Tarrlok instantly, having seen his face so often in the newspaper. He was staring down at her in a way that would have intimidated anyone else. Rather than shrinking back, Korra straightened up, and looked him in the eye.

"Oh, courageous little thing, aren't you?" he laughed, "Why don't you run and grab me some real liquor. None of this champagne shit."

"Yes, sir," Korra said, glaring at her feet as she went.

This was wasting her time. She had to get changed, and now she only had a couple of minutes to do so. Hurrying into the kitchen, she asked the first over-worked looking cook that she could find where the liquor was. Searching for a minute, she found a bottle, and poured a hefty glass for Tarrlok, walking quickly back out. She gave it to Tarrlok, and turned to walk away again, but he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Not so fast," he said, "Stay a while."

"I've got to work," Korra said, shrugging his hand off.

"If I'm not mistaken, I'm your boss," he said, putting the hand right back where it was.

Korra grabbed his wrist, squeezing it tightly, and shoved his hand away.

"I'm sure that your guests are missing you, Councilman," she said through gritted teeth.

She wanted to knock the sense out of him, maybe throw a few flames his way, just to make her point clear, but instead, she just clenched her jaw and marched back into the kitchen. Once the door had swung shut behind her, and she walked as casually as she could past all the cooks, she burst into the outside hallway, and took off at a sprint. Skidding to a halt in front of the room that she had hidden her uniform in, she crept inside and got changed.

Uniform on, she moved back into the hallway. Teru and Bae were dragging the unconscious bodies of the security guards, and Korra rushed over to help them.

"That was the last one," Bae told her, "We've got three minutes until show time. Lock the exits to the streets."

When everything was secured, they made their way back to the entrances to the party, each taking a separate door. Korra stood by her door, peeking through a crack so that she could see the clock on the wall, waiting for it to strike nine fifteen. As the minute hand moved into place, there was a huge crash, and the windows on the opposite wall of the ballroom shattered. This was it.

Korra burst through the door, slamming it and locking it behind her as Equalists poured in through the windows. People at the party began to scream, turning towards the doors, pressing to get out. She stood her ground, shoving away partygoers as they attempted to push past her. Jabbing her fingers out, she chi-blocked those who she knew to be benders, grimacing as they fell to the floor.

The Equalists that had come in through the windows began to help her quell the people, and eventually, everyone stopped struggling. Korra looked out as Amon swung in through a window, landing lightly on his feet, making his way to the top of the grand staircase.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he said. The noise of the hall began to subside as he cleared his throat, "I trust that Councilman Tarrlok has been treating you all well tonight."

Korra looked around, trying to find Mako and Bolin; they were standing with Asami, Mako's arm wrapped protectively around her, though at the moment, Asami didn't really look like she needed protecting. She looked furious.

"Everyone here is vital to this city, whether because of your political prowess, or because of your financial success. All of you are responsible for the well-being and protection of the citizens here in Republic City, and while some of its citizens have prospered, the rest have been left for dead. You have failed in your duty, and rather than acknowledging your failure, you have turned your aggressions towards non-benders, and those who cannot fight back against your unnatural powers."

The crowd was dead silent. Korra wondered if Amon's words would make any impression upon them, or if his speech would only serve to make them angrier.

"Your fine councilman here," Amon said, gesturing to Tarrlok, held firm in the Lieutenants grasp, "has made it illegal for non-benders to defend themselves, even those who are not associated in any way with the Equalists. I am here tonight to tell you that we will not surrender."

There was an intake of breath throughout the crowd. It was easy to tell what they were all thinking: would Amon take away their bending, or would he simply kill them all?

"Do not worry," Amon said, laughing, "For tonight at least, I will show mercy. But do not make the mistake of thinking that I will do so again. You will learn what it is like to live in fear, because rest assured, the next time we meet, I will show you no mercy, as you have never shown the non-benders of this city any."

That sounded like the end of the speech, and Korra began to move towards the windows to make her escape, when a cry rang out from the middle of the crowd.

"NOW!"

And suddenly, everything became chaos.

The undercover police sprung into action, incapacitating Equalists as fast as they could. They were outnumbered, sure, but they were using their bending to rope up the Equalists, locking them in place. Korra dodged the metal that was meant to ensnare her, heading for the windows. Glancing back over her shoulder, she saw a cop yank Teru back, trapping him in a pair of metal handcuffs. She had to go back.

Instead of following Amon as he exited, slipping quietly out the window, Korra turned back, and sprinted towards Teru, who was struggling against his captor.

"Leave me!" he said, "Get out of here!"

"No!" she shouted at him, striking out at the cop who had him in his grasp.

She shouldn't do this. She should let the police take as many captives as they need, as many potential informants to help source out the organization. She should do her job. But Korra knew what sort of interview techniques that the cops would use, and as much as she wanted the Equalists to be taken down, she didn't want Teru to be beaten to the point of death. He was almost a friend, and she didn't have too many of those.

Her fist made contact with the cop's face, and she quickly struck out with the other hand, hitting the right points in his neck to knock him to the floor. Kicking him out of the way, Korra pulled Teru behind her, and fled back towards the window, shoving people aside as she went.

They climbed up on the window sill, ready to climb up the ropes that were waiting to pull them to safety, when a pair of hands yanked Korra back.

It was Mako, pulling her back into the room, trying to subdue her.

"You're not getting away!" he shouted, "You took my brother, you would have destroyed him! You're not going anywhere!"

_But I saved your brother,_ Korra wanted to shout back, _I saved him!_

"Let her go!" Teru shouted, swinging his still handcuffed fists at Mako, who dodged out of the way, releasing his grip on Korra.

Stumbling backwards towards the window, the two of them grabbed on to the ropes, and began the climb up. Halfway there, someone on the roof began to pull them up, and before long, they were at the top. Collapsing onto the ground, Korra breathed a sigh of relief. They were out of there, and for the most part, almost everyone was safe and unharmed.

"Is everyone alright?" Eri asked, "No one hurt?"

"A couple people got captured," Bae said, "But not too many."

"Good. It's unfortunate that we had that slight hiccup there towards the end, but I do believe we made our point," Amon said, turning away from the edge of the roof, where he had been staring out at the city from.

"The three of you who were posing as waiters," Eri said, "You have your wait-staff uniforms, yes?"

Korra pulled hers out from where she had stashed it, behind the wide belt of her uniform.

"Good. You'll have to return those tomorrow, as not to be suspicious," Eri continued, "Good work tonight."

"Thank you," the three of them said in unison.

"Let's get out of here, now."

Eri lead the way, as they moved across roof tops, until they reached a building that had an entrance to one of the tunnels. Back underground, they changed into their waitstaff clothes again, so they could walk the streets.

The cold wasn't going to bother her, having grown up at the South Pole, but Korra grumbled nonetheless as she redid all the buttons and ties on her dress, complaining about what a pain it was to wear the dress.

"You look gorgeous, you know," Ira said, "I don't know what you're complaining about."

"I just feel more comfortable in pants, that's all," Korra said, "Easier to fight in."

Ira nodded, conceding the point.

"We're going out for drinks again, you want to come?" Teru said, rubbing his wrists, where the handcuffs had been cut off of.

"I would love to, but I'm exhausted. Some other time," Korra said apologetically.

The others nodded, wishing her goodbye as she went. Making her way towards the nearest exit, Korra passed by an open door. Glancing inside as she went, she saw Amon and the Lieutenant standing together, discussing something. Moving past the doorway, she stopped, pressing herself against the wall, trying not to make a sound, listening to what they were saying.

"...but why were there undercovers in there?" the Lieutenant was asking, "That's a lot of security."

"Perhaps they have just been taking precautions against us, since the rally," Amon said.

"But our informant should have known," the Lieutenant said, his voice angry, "This is precisely the sort of information that he is supposed to bring us."

"I don't know why he didn't have the information, but before you go too far and bring him in for questioning, we should consider all the other options first."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that there is someone listening at the door right now," Amon said, turning to face the entrance, "Show yourself."

Korra gulped, but stepped into the room.

"Why were you listening at the door?" the Lieutenant snapped, striding towards Korra.

"I'm sorry!" she said, "I didn't mean to! I just overheard you talking, and...I wanted to know what your other theories were."

Amon walked towards her, his footsteps heavy on the ground. Korra wondered if the two of them could hear her heart beating as loudly as she could.

"Our theories," he said, "are none of your concern."

He bent down towards her.

"But I would like to hear some of your theories," he said, "Why do _you_ think that the police had an extra presence there, and undercover?"

Korra bit her lip, thinking. What answer would draw the least suspicion onto herself? Or the most? She had an idea. It was risky, but it might work.

"Maybe..." she began nervously, "maybe the police are watching our activities more closely than we thought. They could be recording conversations. Maybe _they _have an informant."

Amon straightened up, so his mask was no longer level with her face. He laughed.

"You're smart, Kanna," he said, "But don't think that I haven't thought of that already. You may go."

Korra nodded, silently thanking the spirits. As she turned to leave the room, Amon spoke again.

"Kanna?" he said.

"Yes, sir?"

"Be careful out there."

Korra narrowed her eyes.

"I will, sir."  
And she left, walking at a steady, slow pace until she was out of the tunnels and back onto the streets, where she broke into a full sprint. She was sweating by the time she got back to the pro-bending arena, and not just because she had been running.

Her palms were sweaty, and her breath was shallow. Did he know? She couldn't tell. Korra couldn't read people very well to begin with, and Amon... well with Amon she couldn't even see his face, let alone try to guess what his thoughts were. If he knew, the only thing that she could hope for was that he thought that she was only an instrument of the police, nothing more. If he knew that she was the Avatar...

Korra shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as she entered the attic. Both Bolin and Mako leapt up as she walked in. Before she knew it, Mako had barreled into, wrapping her up in a hug that crushed the air from her lungs.

"Are you alright?" Mako asked, holding her at arms length, taking in her frazzled looking appearance, "Where did you get these bruises?"

His eyes skimmed down her bare arms, to finger shaped bruises, purple on her dark skin.

"They're nothing. Just the Equalists. I got tossed around a little bit, but I'm fine!" she said, rubbing her arm, "It takes more than a couple of guys in masks to phase me."

"We were so worried!" Bolin said, "When everything was over, we went to look for you, but no one knew where you were, and there was so much chaos that we thought it would be better just to come home."

"That was probably a good idea," Korra said, "But I'm alright. Are you guys fine?"

They both nodded.

"We're fine, just a little shook up. Asami was upset, too. She was worried about you when we couldn't find you," Mako told her.

Korra closed her eyes. She had forgotten about Asami, and how rude she had been to the other girl earlier.

"Really? I didn't think she liked me all that much," Korra muttered.

"I think it's more the other way around, Korra," Mako said, frowning at her, "You should give her a chance. She's great."  
Korra sighed and nodded her head. This wasn't a conversation that she wanted to have right now. Or ever. But especially not now.

"I'm gonna make some tea," she informed them, "And then I'm going to relax, because it has been a ridiculously long day. You two can join me if you want."

Clapping them both on the shoulder as she went, Korra left them standing by the doorway, and walked into the kitchen. As the water heated up for her tea, the two of them joined her, slouching against the walls.

"So we're gonna hang out soon, yeah?" Bolin said, "You, me, Mako, and Asami?"

"Of course, Bolin," Korra said, "I really am sorry that I haven't been around. What with work and a couple of odd jobs I've picked up, there hasn't really been any time for me to just...be."

"I understand," Mako said, "We haven't been around much either, what with the pro-bending finals coming up. Which you have to come to, by the way."

Korra laughed. She wouldn't miss those, she promised herself. Not for work, not for Amon, not for anything. _  
_

* * *

wow, I'm so so so sos os incredibly sorry that it's been like two months since I've updated. the college application process is time consuming and awful, as are finals and school in general. but it's winter break, so I've finally had some real time to sit down and do some work, and even though this is short and not so great, it needed to be written. I may make some editorial changes at a later date, but for now, it'll be fine. thanks for waiting, and I hope that I get another update out sometime in the next two weeks, although I'm not gonna promise anything.

All your reviews are wonderful, amazing, fantastic etc., so for Christmas, you should leave me some more! 3

happy holidays! xx


End file.
